Contact-box for electric railways.



No. 890,866. PATENTED JUNE 16, 190%- e. H. MoFEATI- IRS.

CONTACT BOX FOR ELECTRIC RAlLwAYs.

. APPLIOATIOH mm) mm 0. 1905.

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No. 890,866. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908. G H. MGFEATERS.

CONTACT BOX FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wnwmsis; 5 Z3 3 mm/ran A TTOIIIIEY.

PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

G. H. MOPEATERS. CONTACT BOX FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 6. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTUR G H173c76l2678.

W 3. A x ATTORNEY- -No. 890,866. I I PATENTED Jim; 16, 1905. G. H. MOPEATERS. OONTAGT BOX FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES A, .4 TFQBIVEV.

"onrrn srarss arnr rrron GEORGE H. MCFEATERS, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTACT-BOX FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 890,866. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 16, 1908. Application filed June 6, 1905. Serial No. 263,933.

To all whom it mag concern: Fig. and Fig. 12, asection of the same on Be it known that I, GEORGE H.'i\lCFEA the line 1212, of 11. TERS, of J ohnstown, in the county of Cam- The numeral 1 designates the body of the bfia and. State of Pennsylvania, have inventbox, having a cavity in which is seated the 5 ed a new and useful lm 'irovement in Consealed insulating cup 2.

tact-Boxes for Electric Railways, of which 3 is a'filling of insulating material; 4, 4, the the following is a full, clear, and exact demagnetic portions of the box cover, and 5, 5. scription, reference being had to the accomthe central non-magnetic portions. panying drawings, which form a part of this 6, M designates the bolts which secure the 10 specification. cover; 7 designates the supply cables which lily invention. has relation to certain new enter the box by means of the sleeve 8, and and useful improvements in contact boxes are secured in a terminal plug .9, supported in for electric railways, and more particularly an insulator 10.

to contact boxes of the general character de 1 1 designates any suitable detachable win 15 scribed and clanned in mv Patent N 0. 618,179 neotion between the )lu 9 and the conductor V I i 2-} dated Jan. 2-1 1899. nu 12 -embedded. in the bottom of the on 2.

,, I l v lho OliJOC-bS of my invention are, to 1nlhe cup 21s constructctl. 1n twosections, as

crease the current-carrying capacity of the inmy said patent, but these sections are now box to adapt it to roads operating heavy cars secured together and the cup supported in a 20 or trains requiring a more or less heavy curdifferent manner from that shown in said rent to provide means of novel and simple patent. The two sections have the abutted character for supporting and. securing the flanges 13, perforated for securing screws 14. sealed vessel or cup which contains the cir- In the construction. shown in Figs. 1 and 2, cuit closing devices, and for electrically conthese screws pass tl'n'ough the abutted 25 nccting the cup'to the surface contact porflanges from the top, and engage at their tion of the box; also to provide means for lower portions the inturncd horizontal flange readily renewing the d ontact portion. 15, of a frame 16, which flange also engages A further ob ect is tonnprovc the magthe under surface of the flange 13 of the netic circuit of the box. lower cup section The frame If has ex- 30 With these objects in view, my invention tended perforated lugs 17, to receive screws consists in the novel construction, arrange- 0r studs 18, which pass up into the portions ment, and combination of parts, all substan- 4 of the box cover. In this manner, the cup tially as hereinafter described and pointed is'securely supported in the said frame, and out in the appended claims, reference being the whole is rigidly attached to the cover.

35 had to the accompanying drawings, in which 19 designates the armature, which is in the "Figure '1, is a plan view of a contact box form of a thin llat plate normally resting on eibodying my invention, Fig. 2, is a seclugs 19, and upon which are mounted the tional view on the line Il-ll of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 movable contacts 20, of which two are shown is similar View on the line III-III of Fig. 1 in Figs. 2 and 3. These contacts preferably e0 Fig. 4 .isaperspective view of the supporting consist each of a button or disk of carbon frame; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the box cover seated in a holder 21 of conducting material,

with. the magnetic and non-magnetic por depressed at its central bottom portion to tions separated; Fig. 6, is an enlarged detail form a convex projection 22, which fits in a sectional ViBW of one of the contacts; Fig. 7, corresponding depression 23 forinod in the is a plan view of an armature, showing a armature. These 'interfitting bearing pormo'dified arrangement of contacts; Fig. 8, is a tions 22 and 23 are perforated to receive an sectionalviewon thelineVIIl-VlllofFig.7 attaching screw 24, formed with a rounded Fig. 9 a similar View on the line IX*lX of head portion seating within the depression Fig.7; Fig. 10, a transverse vertical section 22. The contacts 21 are electrically con- 50 of the central portion of the box cover with nccted with the conductor 12, in the bottom the cup attached, (with the contacts reof the cup, by means of flexible coinluctors moved) and illustrating a different method 25, which consist preferably of a single piece of securing the cup; F 11, a plan view of of metallic ribbon whose central portion is the'cup supporting and attachii'ig frame of l secured to the conductor 12, and whose folded end portions are secured to the screws copper or brass, which is brazed to the plugs 28, and which is also secured to the cu by means of the screws 14, above descri ed. This sheet metal cover erforms two func- I tions: First, it protects t 1e insulating matetacts in multiple.

to the plug 12, the former may be rial of the cup'from the softening and deteriorating effect of any water which may collect above the cup and second, it forms the electrical connection between the plugs 28, and the cover with which it is in contact and to which it is also connected through the frame 16.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, and from the drawing, that the two contacts 21 are in multiple or parallel relation, thereby largely increasing the current-carrying capacity of the cup, as well as sub-dividing the arcs formed between the fixed and movable contacts. This is one of the main features of my invention. It will also be noted that the manner in which the movable contacts 21 are attached to the armature, permits each contact an individual adjusting movement whereby it may come into good contact relation with the corresponding fixed contact. My invention contemplates the employment of any desired number of con- I have, for illustration, in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, shown an armature provided with four contacts 21. These con tacts are connected in )airs by means of the conductors 29, to which the flexible conductors 25 are connected, as shown in Fig. 9. To facilitate the connection of theribbon 25 provided with key-hole shaped slots 30 (see Fig. 7) to engage the heads of the screws 31, which are secured in said plug. 32 designates small holes which may be filledv with solder to further insure a good electrical connection between the ribbon 25 and the said plug 12. By reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the central non-magnetic portion of the box cover, has the narrow central portion 5, and the wider end ortions 5. Inasmuch as the current collecting shoe of the car engages the portion 5", this portion is subject to considerable wear, and its surface part is therefore made removable. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 10, by forming it with a flange portion 5 which is anchored in aretaining bod 5 of spelter, or similar material, which can. e readily cut out to permit the said part to be removed; or said part 5 may be made in wedge form and driven into a seat formed in the main part 5, as shown in Figs. 1, 2-and 3.

The purpose of making the central portion of the non-magnetic cover center narrower tion, which lies directly over the armaturea In Fig. 5, the arrows in full lines indicated the travel of the magnetic lines of force through the magnetic portions 4, 4' of the* cover, while the dotted arrows indicate the travel of the lines of force below the nonmagnetic portion 5, and thereby passing through the armature 19.

. Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show a modified arrangement for supporting the cup and securing it to the cover. In these figures, the cup is surrounded by a frame 32, and ring 33. The frame 32 has lugs 34, which extend up into the non-magnetic portion 4 of the'cover, and are anchored therein in the bodies 35, of spelter or similar material, the said lugs having grooves 36 and erforations 37 for increasing the retaining 101d of the spelter. Screws 38 (corresponding to the screws 14 of the construction shown on Sheet 1) pass up through the ring 33,

rigidly secured to the box cover in a manner w ich avoids all strains tending to separate the two portions of the cup.

I do not desire to limit myself to the pre cise details of construction, arrangement and combination which I have herein shown and described, as various changes may be made,

therein without departing from the spirit and sco e of my invention.

Iaving thus described invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a contact box for electric railways, a box with a cup therein, the box cover, a frame surrounding the'cup below, a supporting flange, and means to secure the frame to the cover, in combination with a movable contact within the cup, and a flexible conductor connected to the contact.

2. In a contact box for electric railways, a

box provided with a cover, a two part cup therein, each part having a horizontal abut ting flange, a frame supporting the cup beneath the flange, and suspended from the box cover in combination With a movable contact within the cup, and a flexible conductor secured to the contact.

3. In a contact box for electric railways, a box provided with a cover, a two part cup therein, each having a horizontal abutting flange, a frame supportin the cup beneat the flange, and 'suspen ed from the box cover, screws extending through the flanges and engaging the frame, in combination w1th a movable contact, and a flexible conductor secured to the contact.

4. In a contact box for electric railways, a box provided with a cover, a two part cup within the box, having a movable contact ble conductor within the cup, and a metallic secured to. a flexible conductor therein, a frame supporting the cup, and secured to the cover, and means whereby the cup sections are secured to each other and to the ame.

5. In acontact boxfor electric railways, a box provided with a cover, a cup of insulating material within the box, and a conducting plug embedded in the upper portion of the cup, a movable contact secured to a flexicover in electrical connection with the plug and the box cover.

6. In a contact box for electric railways, the box cover composed of a central portion of nonmagnetic material, and side portions of magnetic material, said nonmagnetic ortion being narrower at its central part t an at its ends, and a movable contact secured to a flexible conductor to connect the box cover with the supply cable.

7. In a contact box for electric railways, I

the box cover composed of a central portion of nonmagnetic-material, and side portions of magnetic material, said nonmagnetic portion being narrower at the central part than at its ends, and said central part havin a removable surface portion, and a movab e contact secured to a flexible conductor to connect the box cover with the supply cable.

8. A contact box cover having a central portion of nonmagnetic material provided with a seat therein, and a wedge shaped surface or contact portion removably driven into the said seat, and a movable contact secured to a flexible conductor to connect the box cover with the supply cable.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my I signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. MOFEATERS. Witnesses:

LORETTO M. OCoNNELL,

H. W. SMITH. 

